Just as there are great supporting actors –Harvey Keitel comes to mind at this moment- in viticulture, there is also one without which the film could not be complete: Cabernet Franc, a Bordeaux classic and a common presence in the blends of great wines that come from the banks of the Garonne. Cabernet Franc is also an actor with diverse faces because its pyrazines allow him to give life to wines of very different profiles, such as those produced in northern Loire Valley. From his native France, it leaped over the “greater pond” and showed its credentials around the world. Especially in the South Cone of America, in Chile as well as in Argentina.

After its natural crossing with Sauvignon Blanc, it became the father of Cabernet Sauvignon, a variety considered by many to outshine its ancestor in elegance and complexity. But that’s not all: its crossbreeding with Madeleines Noir de Charentes gave birth to Merlot, and to our Carmenère when it paired with Gros Cabernet.

Generally speaking, Cabernet Franc is more productive than Cabernet Sauvignon and has a little more spicy or herbaceous character. It has a powerful tannic structure, and its fruity range is somewhat one-dimensional compared to that of some of its daughters. But these are generalities since much depends on the terroir where it is produced. In some, he can be responsible for great wines, like Château Cheval Blanc, for example.